The scheduled meeting between National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik and Koichi Mizushima, the Japanese Ambassador to Korea, set for the 13th, has reportedly been abruptly postponed.
According to diplomatic sources on the 8th, the Japanese Embassy in Korea requested the Speaker's office to delay the meeting, citing scheduling reasons.
It is known that the Japanese Embassy initially applied for the meeting with Speaker Woo's office after his inauguration on June 5. Generally, meetings with key figures such as the National Assembly Speaker are considered significant achievements for diplomats.
In political circles, it is analyzed that ongoing issues between the two countries, including controversies surrounding the UNESCO World Heritage registration process of the Sado Mine, a forced labor site during the Japanese colonial period, influenced the postponement.
Speaker Woo Won-shik is holding an emergency press conference on April 24 at the National Assembly regarding the mediation proposal for the Broadcasting Act and other current parliamentary issues. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
Earlier, on the 6th, Speaker Woo criticized the government's acceptance of the Sado Mine's UNESCO World Heritage registration as "a very wrong act" and demanded full disclosure of the diplomatic negotiation process and details between the two countries.
Prior to the registration decision last month, the National Assembly adopted a resolution urging the withdrawal of the Sado Mine's World Heritage registration promotion, supported by 225 lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties.
Regarding this, the Speaker's office stated, "We cannot confirm."
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